The Transition
by Jade-Eyed-Jinchuriki
Summary: Gaara learns he must form a bond with his siblings in order to deal with the changes he now faces in life, especially the change of heart he seems to be undergoing.But things will not be easy! Set between Operation Destroy Konoha and Sasuke Retrieval arc
1. Musings

AN: I've put off writing this fic for quite some time for a rather stupid reason-I couldnt think of a decent title to save my life! Personal fume aside, I've decided to call this fic "The Transition." It's a gapfiller that centers around Gaara and his siblings from the end of the Operation Destroy konoha arc to their appearance in the Sasuke retrieval arc. I should warn all of you in advance, it is a very angst filled fic and it gets graphic in some areas, and it will be long! Well, Ive kept you all waiting long enough, so lets begin, shall we?

The Transition, Chapter 1

The sensations were all very new and mostly unpleasant to him: His head and shoulder were throbbing, and to top it all he felt as though he were losing control of his body-He couldn't seem to keep at a steady pace for long, as it felt as though somebody had tied massive weights to him, making him stumble and lose balance on multiple occasions. It was ironic, for someone who had never slept, Gaara never felt fatigued before-the demon sealed inside him always provided enough energy to keep them both rested. But that boy had taxed the both of them, and Shukaku didn't have any energy to spare. Weariness crushed Gaara like a rock, and yet he didnt know that was what he was experiencing now.

"We're already behind schedule, Dont expect us to wait for you!" came a shout from several feet ahead. Kankuro had been in an extremely bitter mood: Learning that they had to cut around the usual path-where those Leaf ninja were sure to be tracking them-Infuriated him. The new route doubled the length of their journey, and Kankuro was badly out of shape. Gaara half stumbled-half ran down the path, attempting to catch up. A root halted his journey, sending him straight for the ground. He uttered a mental curse and braced himself for the landing and possibly more wounds. He landed, instead in his sisters outstretched arm. Temari had lagged just behind him, knowing that he entered this state every time that demon showed himself.

Gaara supported himself on his sister's arm, trying to catch his breath. He thought he had seen a glimpse of concern on her face, but shrugged it off as him seeing things.

"Who would show concern for a monster?" He thought, certain that if Temari was experiencing any feelings right now, it was either fear or disgust at the close proximity her demon little brother was standing to her.

Temari had to persuade Gaara to let him lean on her for the rest of the day, claiming that he looked "asleep on his feet" He laughed bitterly at that thought: if he really were asleep, his companions would be dead by now. Shukaku didnt play, he sated his bloodlust greedily, taking in every drop like a starving child. The beast liked to torture Gaara in his dreams while he devoured all in his path, often making him relive that night when he was six. For that, he refused to sleep, certain that the beast someday would devour what little sanity he had left along with his latest meal of blood.

They made camp beside a small stream, well hidden by the thick vegetation in the area. Temari did something odd that night-She offered to keep watch with him, beating Kankuro upside the head with her fan when he flat out refused. The two sat there, watching the moon peer from behind the trees. Temari soon lost her fight to stay awake and fell asleep with her back against a tree. It was about Midnight, Gaara could tell by the position of the stars, most of the animals would have finished their prowl by now, and any ninja would be asleep. He focused on the reflection the moon made on the surface of the stream, occasionally broken by a fallen leaf in the water or a toad jumping from a fern to a floating leaf, believing it was a lilly pad. He sat there lost in thought, thinking about the blond boy from the Leaf, about how similar the two were. Yet this boy didnt lose himself to that empty darkness that was his lonely mind. Maybe he had given up too easily. Maybe he had to show everyone they had little to fear. He became so lost in his musings that he didn't realize he had fallen asleep...

End of chapter 1.


	2. Journey gone awry

A.N. Things are going to get pretty gruesome from this point on, Laiden with heavy angst and some graphic details. I hate torturing Gaara like this, but this is the only scenario I can envision where his siblings have to learn to trust and care for him, and where Gaara has to learn to trust and depend on his siblings. I might bring their sensei, Baki into this too, but I'm not sure yet. Well, thats all for now, dont kill me for what happens next!

The Transition, Chapter 2

Temari woke early with a start. She couldnt get rid of the feeling that something was about to go horribly awry. She scanned the area, but to her groggy mind, nothing seemed out of place-The night was quiet and still, not a bird broke the silence. Kankuro was still fast asleep by the dying fire, and Gaara sat propped up against a tree trunk, his face mostly hidden by shadows. She was getting ready to shrug off the feeling as her mind playing tricks on her when she heard a soft cry from the tree Gaara sat on. As she approached the tree to investigate, she soon found that her fears weren't unfounded. Gaara seemed to be in a deep sleep, his body twitching slightly and his face a mask of pure terror. Temari instantly fell into panic, knowing that when Gaara lost consoiusness, terrible things often followed. She wondered why she wasnt dead right now, was the beast still reeling from its recent defeat?

Going against every self preserving instinct, she approached her little brother hesitantly, certain he would slaughter her mercilessly if she came any closer, yet Gaara did not wake or even seem to sense her prescence, he was so lost to his nightmares. She started trying to wake him, gently at first but becoming rougher and more desperate with each attempt. She soon realised that an intense amount of heat radiated from his body, making her realise that Gaara was not trapped in a nightmare but was in fact in a delirious trance. He was in worse shape than Temari imagined.

"Kankuro, somethigs wrong!" The frightened cry brought the annoyed puppet master out of his own slumber. He stormed over to them, ready to make another of his pointless threats to Gaara, who he was sure was the cause of the problem. His anger quickly turned to alarm when he saw what was going on at the roots of that tree. Gaara was clearly not himself, and Kankuro thought that the demon inside him had taken over again.

"Temari, get away from him!" He pulled her away from the area and immediately went into a fighting pose, which caused Temari to react in an unexpected manner: She yanked her arm out of his grasp and stood protectively between the two brothers.

"What are you doing? Do you realize he could kill you at any time in this state!"

"Look at him! Does he look like hes in any shape to kill let alone defend right now? Somethings wrong with him!" Kankuro cautiously approached his little brother, quickly realising that Gaara was in fact in pain. He knew what the cause was, but neither of them had the resources to take care of it. Something was aggrevating the wound he got fighting the Uchiha kid. They had both forgotten about it until now, as memory had told them Gaara never got hurt.

"We need to get back to the village soon, especially now," Kankuros demeanor had changed dramatically in those few moments, Yet temari knew it was not concern for his little brother that had caused this.

Ever since he was a toddler and had heard of the death of the last jinchuriki, Kankuro had lived in constant fear that if the next one died, it would spell death to all as Shukaku broke free and wreaked havoc to the immediate area, and he knew if Gaara died, there was no way two genin would be able to take on a Bijou at full strength. He was more worried for his own life.

End of chapter two.


	3. Sibling rivalry

A.N. If not in this chapter, I intend to have Baki and Shukaku make an appearance shortly. As you can tell, Gaara is having a few complications from his fight with Sasuke. Things will get worse before they get better, but I will not go off-canon and kill off any characters. Nonetheless, there will be graphic medical detail and potentially frightening displays of will between Gaara and Shukaku in the coming scenes. I'll try to be gentle, but no guarantees.

The Transition, Chapter 3.

Morning came, bringing little change to Gaara's condition. Temari had kept a night-long vigil at his side, doing everything in her power to keep him from slipping into Shukaku's claws. The fevered nightmares eased about halfway into the night, affording Gaara some peace so he could rest, but his pain seemed to double. The slightest movements would trigger gasping fits, occasionally he would struggle against whoever was moving him.

Kankuro was clearly rushed, but kept a safe distance from his little brother. This annoyed Temari, who would be forced to carry Gaara between destinations, and he was clearly not fit for travel. Every movement sent flares of pain through Gaara's shoulder, causing him to cry out and struggle endlessly, until Kankuro became fed up and demanded they halt and see to their injuries, which Temari knew was futile, as none of them knew medical ninjutsu, and carried precious few medical supplies. He was just looking for an excuse to sit and wait for their sensei, thinking this would improve their circumstances greatly.

"Thick head," Temari spat at him as she filled their water bottles. They had folllowed the stream they camped by last night, which has finally come to its source-a fairly large spring surrounded by several cliffs. There was a good chance this was the last place to get water before they reached the village, so none of them took the opportunity lightly. She finished her job and filled a bowl with water, which she carried to the camp. Gaara lay on a blanket that covered a patch of soft moss by another tree. He was even paler than usual, and seemed to barely even breathe. Temari set the bowl of water beside him and went over to her pack, where she retrieved a kunai knife and several scraps of clean cloth. Returning to him, she set the cloth in the water and used the knife to cut the top of his clothing away, revealing his bare skin. Temari recoiled at what she saw, nearly knocking the bowl of water over in her shock.

There was a bloody, gaping hole in Gaara's shoulder that seemed to go vitally deep, angry red veins branched away from it. His body was also mottled with bruises from where those leaf ninjas landed their countless blows-particularly the blond one with the clones. That boy... he seemed to get through to Gaara in a way nobody else could. It was the first time she had heard Gaara utter an apology to his siblings. Whenever he apologized, it was always in a casual manner meant more to keep up appearances than to convey actual regret. This time was different. She could hear regret and guilt in his voice.

Retrieving a rag from the bowl of water, she proceeded to clean the dried blood from Gaara's face. It looked worse than it actually was, with the bloodstains gone, she saw that he only had a slight surface wound on his head, and it was already starting to heal. The area would be colorful for a few days though, as she could see a bruise had developed there too. The state of his shoulder was a different story though, the wound was the size of her palm, and at least a knuckles length deep. Try as she might to clean the blood away, the wound would just generate new blood. She eventually admitted defeat and tried to bind the area. But Gaara wasn't being cooperative: the binding had to be tight, which meant inflicting further pain. He struggled and gasped through the entire process, crying out a couple of times.

"Stop whining. You brought this on yourself, you little bastard..." Kankuro's utterance was barely finished when Temari's fist made contact with his face. He went sprawling straight into the spring and came to the surface sputtering and enraged.

"Temari? WHAT THE HELL!" she had stormed into the spring, ready to land more blows at this point.

"What is the matter with you?" she was beside herself.

Me? What's your problem? Have you completely forgotton that kid you're so eager to protect all of the sudden is the same one who has tried to KILL US on numerous occasions!"

"Something is different about him, if you would just open your EYES and look, you'd see that too!"

"What is different is he knows he is in no condition to make his death threats to us. He's just protecting his worthless hide!"

"You've been in that position before, Kankuro, tell me-is self preservation the first thing on YOUR mind in this state?"

"I...uh...no. I actually couldn't stop thinking about the pain...It was almost unbearable."

"Well...what Gaara any different? Besides...if we treat him like a disease now, he will most certainly revert back to his old ways. This can be the way to show him he can trust us!"

"You better be right, Temari...I would love to be able to sleep safely one-what was that?"

They both heard the sound in the brush, it was the sound of something heavy, like a person landing from a high area. They both immediately went into defensive positions, weapons at the ready.

"Your timing is flawless, as always Temari and Kankuro, but you have no reason to fight..."

They didn't leave their defensive positions, but loosened their resolve, they recognised the intruders voice.

"Who are you? Show yourself!"

The stranger stepped into the clearing. His face was partially obscured by a cloth hanging from his headpiece, but the two siblings recognised him immediately.

Baki had finally caught up with them.

End of chapter 3.


	4. Wrath of the bijou

AN: Baki has shown up, as promised. While things are getting pretty bad in the waking world-Gaara is living a nightmare! Shukaku wants to take over again, and it is taking everything Gaara has to keep him subdued. Brace yourself for a shouting match and maybe some abusive behavior on Shukaku's part. You may even see how the beast "punishes" Gaara for bad behavior...

The Transition-Chapter 4

Temari and Kankuro had not completely lowered their guard to Baki, certain that this was an enemy in transformation. It wasn't the first time they had encountered such, but this time they did not have Gaara's constant vigilance to protect them-His shields would go up at the slightest idea of a threat, but he wasn't even aware that anything was going on.

"Twenty years ago, Karura, our mother had agreed that she would train her art to one of her children-who was the child she ultimately tried to teach?" Temari was quick to press him for information only he would know.

"She desired to train her youngest child the art of the living shield, but could not because she died the day he was born. Rumors are that it is second nature to him despite that fact, wielded by the demon who ultimately killed her"

It seemed to be the answer they were looking for, because both lowered their defenses and led him inside the camp, where Baki immediately noticed the sleeping form by the fire. He approached him hesitantly, thinking Gaara would jump into wakefullness and slaughter him without a second thought. He always did that to the few who managed to stun him, like some sadistic game of peek-a-boo.

"what happened to him?"

"It was those Leaf ninja from the exam. One of them did a number to him..."

This information caught Baki off guard-anyone who managed to put Gaara in this state had to have extraordinary abilities. He continued his approach and proceeded to examine him.

Shukaku was furious, partly at the fact somebody had managed to defeat him, but mostly at this suddenly brazen little shit standing before him.

"What are you doing standing around in here for? LET ME OUT!"

The response that issued from Gaara was barely a growl:

"No,"

"Get out of my way you insignificant little runt, or I'll..."

"You'll what? Kill me? You know what happens when your host dies!" Gaara took no time in reminding the beast that his only other option was to live completely subdued im a tea kettle. Not that he liked to mention this often: Shukaku became brutal when reminded of the kettle.

"At least I would be entitled to the blood I've been most desperate to taste..."

"Try it and see what happens you overgrown possum!"

"Now look who's being cocky, but you know full well that you couldnt lay a scratch on a butterfly's wing without me. Learn your place, you little rat!"

"I'm done listening to your lies, demon!"

"Fine, but dont come crying to me when some rat from the ninja academy gives you a papercut! I saw how you acted when that leaf runt finally layed a mark on you!"

"At least I got to take you down with me,"

"Have you heard nothing I just said you little shit? YOU'RE NOTHING WITHOUT ME!"

The beast had heard all he was willing to hear at this point, and demonstrated that fact by shooting slicing waves of sand in Gaara's direction, though they didnt actually harm him, the pain was all too real. Gaara shrieked in pain and rage as the sand tore into his skin, making bloody gashes wherever they struck. His clothes were in tatters, his skin burned, but the demon didn't relent.

Then as quickly as it happened, it was over. Gaara looked down at his suddenly flawless hands and clothing, shaking violently. Shukaku seemed to have regained composure.

"Now, if you're a good boy who does what mother tells him, I won't have to punish you again"

"No, I wont listen anymore, and you are not my mother...you're just a dumb beast who's lied to me far too long..." Gaara was nearing his breaking point. "Do what you will, but you will never show your face to the world again." Completely devoid of energy and willpower, he collapsed at the demon's feet.

End of chapter 4.


	5. Suppression

AN-Trust me, under any other circumstances, Gaara would be able to withstand Shukaku's rage considerably longer than he did in the last chapter-But he's a physical and emotional wreck right now-wounded and in the midst of mental turmoil. Shuka's genjutsu was merely the breaking point(Yes, that instantly-healed torture session Gaara went through was a genjutsu-I dont know if Shukaku can really do genjutsus, but think of this logically-Shukaku is an ancient beast with massive amounts of chakra, he is perfectly capable of doing genjutsu and probably lived long enough to learn the art, but this is fanfiction, and that is only a theory) Well, I won't keep you all waiting much longer.

The Transition Chapter 5

Shukaku savagely kicked his host aside and began the process of posessing him. He knew the runt was unconsious in the physical world as well, so it was only a matter of controlling his mind with another genjutsu. But, when he began to summon the chakra to do so, he soon found that he could not-there was some kind of barrier preventing his chakra from flowing. The beast was baffled-what sort of trickery was going on out there?

Baki was kneeling on the ground at Gaara's side, one hand outstretched and placed in the middle of his head. A strange red glow issued from it, as though of chakra being transferred.

Temari and Kankuro had never seen Baki perform this jutsu before, and they felt a mixture of intrigue and alarm.

"What are you doing to him?" Kankuro was the first to speak this time.

"This is a chakra-binding jutsu that only I know. It is the reason that your father chose me to be your sensei. It will prevent both Gaara and Shukaku from using chakra while under it's influence, so he can sleep when he needs it badly enough."

"I don't understand...if you could perform this jutsu, than why didn't you do this all the time?"

"Several reasons-the most obvious being that Gaara never let me use it on him before, but there are others."

"such as?"

"The effects only last a few hours, and this technique requires a substantial amount of chakra. I can only do this once a day at most and still have the energy to protect you three."

Temari was beginning to wonder if Gaara was even alive at this point-he had barely stirred while Baki examined him and bound his chakra, and now he seemed barely to breathe. Placing the tips of fer fingers to his wrists, she searched intently for any sign of life,breathing a sigh of relief that quickly turned to alarm. Gaara was very much alive, but something was clearly wrong-his pulse was very fast and she could feel an intense amount of heat radiating from him-neither of which were symptoms of chakra exhaustion. She had only witnessed these attacks 3 or 4 times in her life, but every one followed a pattern: He would always fall into deep fatigue that would only last a few hours to a day at most, and the attacks never caused a fever. Yet it had been 3 days now and his condition only seemed to worsen. She had witnessed Baki examining him-though he would'nt talk, she could tell by the look on his face that something was serious.

Shukaku was in the midst of a furious effort to escape from his host's psyche. Even a pitiful sealing jutsu like the one that trapped him in this rat's body was enough to wall him in, and without his chakra, Shukaku was about as potent as a cornered animal-dangerous, but not nearly as powerful as he could be if her were freed. He threw himself against the walls of his enclosure. The boy didn't stir from where the beast had thrown him, yet Shukaku knew he wasn't dead-the form lying at the beast's feet wasn't even his host-it was only the visage of his personality. Besides-the fact that he was still in this damned prison was proof enough that the brat lived.

Gaara seemed to revive slightly by the time they reached the desert. Baki had insisted they find the normal route to Suna as quickly as possible. It bothered Temari how their sensei's anxiety seemed to rise as time passed. Baki didn't even like Gaara-it showed in the harsh threats he threw his way on a regular basis, so Temari guessed his fear was similar to Kankuro's-he did not know what Shukaku would do if Gaara died. She herself was wondering about her own change of heart-Gaara was one of the only things on earth that truly scared her. Yet those words he spoke at the end of his battle with that Leaf boy continued to echo in her head.

"Temari, Kankuro, I'm so sorry,"

"I'm so sorry"

"TEMARI!" The sudden outcry pulled her abruptly out of her musings. Kankuro and Baki were huddled on the ground at Gaara's side. As she got closer, her blood ran cold at the sight. Gaara was having some sort of fit-he was writhing on the ground, his face contorted in a mask of intense pain.


	6. A protective instinct

AN: The end of this phase of the story is almost here. I only plan to torture Gaara long enough to have Kankuro "See the light" at this point-he still hasn't softened towards his brother enough to become the confidante we see in Shippuden, and I don't think it'll actually happen in this story at all, but I still intend to make the siblings and Baki learn not to fear him. I will warn you though-things are going to get fairly medically graphic soon, but Shukaku will leave him alone for a bit-as long as Baki's suppression jutsu remains in effect.

The Transition chapter 6

Baki sensed the onset of Gaara's seizure. He had given Temari a break and carried the boy himself. He had not moved for most of that day's journey, then suddenly he started to shake with chills-a sign that his fever was going to spike very soon. He decided that it was about time to find a spot to rest for the night and scanned the area for some type of shelter. He found a place where a few stones jutted out from the sand that would at least protect them from any potential sandstorms, and began to lead his charges in that direction.

They were barely halfway to the location when Gaara jerked violently, causing Baki to drop him. He hit the sand with a soft thump and continued to thrash on the ground. He heard Kankuro rush to them while calling for Temari, and he saw Temari rush to Gaara's side in a futile attempt to pull him out of the terrifying fit. The seizure lasted a good two minutes before the convulsions subsided and he fell back into the comatose state he was in before they reached the desert.

"Kami-Sama, Baki, He's burning up!" Kankuro had finally noticed what the other two had known for the past 2 days. For once he seemed genuinely terrified.

"Theres a storm coming Baki, we need to find shelter!"

"Theres a rock formation a couple hundred meters from here, we'll rest when we get there,"

Gaara showed no improvement in the time it took to get there. They had placed him in the most sheltered part of the formation, building a fire in the most exposed. Baki made a point of giving him a more thourogh examination, removing the bindings from his shoulder. He could immediately see what the cause of his worsening condition-though it had stopped bleeding, the wound was now showing definite signs of infection: the angry red veins branching from the wound had spread out and were more pronounced, and an opaque white fluid weeped from it. It caused him intense pain- it was clear when Baki tried to clean the wound-the action caused Gaara to arch his back and cry out in agony. They had to get to the village soon, it was becoming increasingly clear. The only alternative was the barbaric procedure of cauterizing the wound, and they werent properly prepared to do that anyways. The pain would most definately kill him.

Kankuro was the first to take watch that night. He spent most of it lost in his own thoughts. He wondered if Gaara was telling the truth when he apologised to them that day. He had uttered enough empty apologies in his life, and had gotten quite good at it. If any of those apologies were true, Kankuro couldn't tell. All he ever saw was monster, monster, _monster._ Maybe he was the one who was really lost in the dark-Temari and Baki seemed pretty quick to forgive the little demon asleep in the corner of the shelter. Kankuro walked to Gaara's side, getting a first _good _look at his little brother. The top part of that outfit he wore was mostly removed, a great deal of his chest covered in bandages instead. His face bore a pained, troubled expression, and his hands would ball into fists and relax infrequently. He looked innocent enough in sleep._ But looks can be deceiving..._ his instincts reminded him.

"Mother..." Kankuro was startled from his thoughts by the faint, barely whispered word. Gaara was talking in his sleep. Kankuro listened to him intently, thinking these unconsious mutterings would give a glimpse at Gaara's _true _personality.

"Did it hurt Mother? What they did to you that day, the day I stole your life from you? I'm sorry that you had to die for a monster like me..."

Kankuro pieced together what he just heard. The short sentance had revealed something-Gaara was living in constant guilt for stealing their mother from them. _Guilt,_ not the sort of emotion a monster would convey. Monster-he had called himself a monster. Why? Did he blame himself for that? As cruel as Gaara could be, Kankuro knew that Gaara held a demon as a result of their fathers will. At closer glance, Kankuro could see how much of a toll his inner conflict had taken. With the full force of his jutsu, Gaara was intimidating, terrifying even. But the boy's chakra had been suppressed, rendering him powerless. He looked a thin and fragile child to Kankuro's eyes now. He felt a strong and bizarre urge to protect him now. He had witnessed but a glimpse of Gaara's psyche, but Kankuro knew now that Gaara had gone through life alone and misguided, but Kankuro knew that maybe Gaara could change.

But change would'nt happen if Gaara died. The boy needed help, and he needed it soon.

end of chapter 6


	7. Prejudices

AN: The siblings are actually only a couple hours from the village at this point, but the sandstorm had to slow them to a standstill. They will be able to get Gaara the help he needs, but first they have to face one of those bastard elders, who want to just let the "Failure demon of Sunagakure" perish from the sickness coursing through his body. Give you one guess who steps in and saves him!

The Transition Chapter 7.

The siblings woke early at Baki's insistance. The village was not even in sight yet, but they all knew they were close-the pattern of the sand dunes changed ever-so-slightly when the mountains-which the village was squarely at the face of-interrupted the flow of the winds.

Gaara's fever had worsened during the night, and he began to call out for his mother, siblings, and-for a strange reason-Yashamaru. Baki was rushed to get him to Suna at this point, and tried to take the remaining distance at a fast pace. Here and there other ninja returning from the invasion would show up along the road, some bearing wounded of their own. One had thrown a shuriken in Gaara's direction when he spotted him.

"Seems the other ninja have already found their scapegoat." Temari remarked bitterly after deflecting the weapon.

The village came into view within 2 hours of travel. This prompted them to increase their pace, making their way towards the hospital the moment they passed the village gate.

"You, Halt!" One of the elders of the village stood directly in their path. Kankuro scowled, knowing what was coming.

"Any formalities will have to wait, as you can see, we have a wounded shinobi who needs care!" Baki hadn't missed the smug expression on the elder's face, nor the sudden defensive posture Kankuro had taken.

"I can see that quite well, Baki. It just so happens that 'shinobi' has been marked for death for the past 6 years! I will not let you pass when the only way to finally complete a mission that has failed for 6 years, especially when it has been proven who is solely responsible for the failure of the latest mission!"

"You are seriously implying that one genin would single-handedly cause the failure of an S-rank mission?"

"It just so happens this 'one genin' was the most important piece of the puzzle! Turn back, Or be marked as a traitor!"

"You turn back..." The warning snarl came from none other than Kankuro. "Turn back, Or you'll have us to answer to!" The only response was sarcastic laughter from the elder.

"I don't care if you are the Kazekage's children, You are insane to think you can take me on!" Kankuro knew this elder, he was nothing but a cowardly mass of hot air, just like the lot of them. He was growing impatient. A cocky grim broke across his face.

"Need I remind you that insanity tends to run in the family..."_This'll mean my hide later, but I won't let these bastards murder Gaara. _Kankuro had removed Karasu from his back and was summoning the chakra to bring the puppet to life.

But Temari had beaten him to the punch. The elder was a little punch drunk but none the worse for wear. Temari opened her fan a little wider.

"You just experienced the force not even one moon on my fan can produce. Let us through, or you'll feel the force of all three! Even Father wasn't ruthless enough to slaughter a sick creature. You coward!"

"Temari! That was..."

"Save your compliments, Gaara needs medicine!"

Kankuro hated hospitals. The stench of death littlered the halls no matter how hard they tried to sanitize the area. He was noticably uneasy as they walked from room to room, desperately searching for a medic. It was bizarre-with all the wounded ninja returning from the Leaf village, the hospital should have been a flurry of activity.

But it seemed completely deserted.

"Mustve gotten wind that Gaara was among the wounded..." Temari muttered angrily. She was only noticing the prejudice her little brother faced for the first time. She felt a pang of sympathy for the boy. _It's unbearable, isn't it? The pain of being alone... _She asked him mentally. _Thats why you act out, you're trying to dull the hurt that just wont disappear..._ The thoughts made her rethink who the real villains in life were. A flame lit in the kunoichi's chest, one of protective rage.

"COME ON! I know you're in here! Isn't it the ninja way to help one of your own?"

The shout brought a startled medic running from around a corner. She saw Gaara and immediately led them into a nearby room and told them to lay him on the bed. She then went back to the door and told them with a sympathetic tone.

"I wish I could say I had the training to help your teammate, but I can find somebody who does. I will return as soon as I can." and she rushed out of the room and down the corridor.

end of chapter 7.


	8. Pallor

AN: I truly hate having to deviate from canon, but I am bringing a couple of OCs into the story: Satsu and her assistant Misao. I will reassure you that they will only be seen for a couple of chapters at most. They are merely extras or pieces of scenery that serve a purpose in the story, but I will do my best to make them seem _human_ by giving them personalities and histories and not to make them Mary-Sues, which chagrin the hell out of me! Well, back to the story, and PLEASE tell me if I make Satsu and Misao too mary-sueish!

This chapter contains slightly more intense medical detail than in previous chapters and may be disturbing to some more squeamish readers.

The Transition chapter 8

Temari was concerned to see that Gaara's face was nearly as white as the sheets he lay upon. He had settled down considerably since he was finally allowed to rest and actually seemed to have returned to the comatose state he was in when they first noticed something was wrong. His body was tense and his breathing fast and shallow. It was as though he was making an effort not to trigger another attack of pain. Kankuro was seated on the side of the bed looking into his little brother's face intently. There was a curious expression on his own, one of fear and pity.

The girl returned roughly ten minutes after she left with an older woman in tow. The woman froze when she saw who it was lying on the bed, but her expression showed no fear or disgust like the other people they had encountered that day. It was actually one of shock.

"This boy-who or what managed to pierce his defenses?"

Temari gave the woman a brief explanation about that Leaf genin and his lightning fast jutsu, and the later fight with that same genin's teammate that had drained all of Gaara's chakra. The woman seemed to believe the story and set to work examining her young charge, checking vital signs and ruling out internal damage. When she removed the bandages and saw the exposed wound, she winced sympathetically and sent the other girl to get a few supplies from another room. She payed a bit more attention to his shoulder, prodding at the skin around the wound. Her face showed concern when she felt the area of his collarbone. Gaara arched his back and cried out at the touch.

"His collarbone has been shattered..." the woman said "And I am pretty sure that fragments of bone have caused the infection."

The girl returned bearing a black pouch, which she set on a table alongside the bed.

"Misao, Iwould you escort Temari and Kankuro from the room. Baki, I'll require your assistance..."

"What! Why..." Temari's retorts were cut short by the girl leading them from the room by a hand. She had a remarkably strong grip that Temari couldn't shake off.

With the other two genin outside, the older woman cut right to the chase. "The infection will only get worse if we dont remove it at it's source. Baki, I need you to keep Gaara under the supression jutsu. There's a good chance Shukaku will fight back if it knows what I'm about to do." She motioned to Misao, who withdrew a wooden case from the pouch and opened it. It contained a small assortment of surgically sharp blades. The woman cleaned her hands in a nearby basin and removed a smaller blade from the case, testing it's sharpness. Misao didn't even wait for a cue and injected a dose of sedative into Gaara's arm. She took his pulse after several minutes and nodded.

"He's out, Satsu."

Satsu moved closer to the bed and cleaned Gaara's shoulder with a damp cloth. Then, retrieving the same small knife she had tested before, she pressed it firmly into Gaara's shoulder.

End of chapter 8


	9. Blood and sand

AN: I left you off on a grisly scene, but you can rest assured that the worst is over. I have been thinking about where I should go in the course of the story and ultimately decided it would be a go-between of each scene, drifting between Temari and Kankuro in the village, Baki, Satsu, and Misao in the hospital, and Gaara and Shukaku in Gaara's own mind. I will be providing comic relief in a very unexpected place too...

The Transition Chapter 9

The sedative seemed to be working, as Gaara made no sound or movement as Satsu cut deeper into his body. Baki was stationed behind the bed, performing the suppression jutsu. Misao watched her mentor work intently. Satsu worked swiftly and cautiously, attempting to reach Gaara's collarbone and repair the damage that was causing that vile infection. She was surprised by what she felt when she reached her target. He wasn't as badly injured as the initial exam led on-his collarbone was actually cleanly broken. Satsu was baffled, that would cause pain but would'nt be a potential breeding ground for illness. So what was _really _going on in this child's body?

Temari and Kankuro had gone to a teahouse on Misao's advice. But neither really had much of an appetite. Kankuro was still fuming over the audacity that elder had shown earlier, and Temari was concerned. What had to be done that required their absence? She feared the worst.

"I hope you are quite pleased with yourself, runt! Do you know what they're doing to us right now?" Gaara had come out of his trance and was defiantly staring down the beast spanning the other half of his mind. He was very much aware of what was going on in the waking world, but the oversized imbicile was still convinced that those ninja in the waking world were trying to kill them instead of help. He was silent, but that was only because he feared any word he uttered would end in laughter.

"What? You have no comeback now? You were pretty happy to verbally belittle me three nights ago!"

He got no response.

"Have you lost your mind, Desert Rat? ANSWER ME!" The last roar was fierce enough to knock Gaara off his feet. Still he did not relent.

"Do you want another repeat of last time?" The threat seemed to do its job, as Gaara quickly but calmly got to his feet and looked brazenly into the monster's face.

"Try it." was Gaara's only response. It was enough to piss off the beast some more, and Shukaku roared in rage and summoned the chakra to unleash a particularly nasty genjutsu on the runt standing before him. Then memory caught up.

"DAMN IT!" The beast roared in fury and embarassment. "You win this round, rat, but when this goddamned jutsu wears off, you'll get punished good!"

"Looking forward to it." The tone of voice was no less defient, and Shukaku could actually see him thinking up a way around it.

Satsu chuckled darkly when she realized what the true source of the infection in Gaara's shoulder. She had cut into another side of the wound, thinking perhaps he had shattered one of his ribs instead. She didn't get so far when she realized she was going in the right direction. This cut bled heavily, and the blood had a strange consistency, it was dark and slightly gritty. Initially baffled, she remembered that Gaara used sand armor in desperate situations. He must've been wearing it when he got wounded. She asked Baki about the circumstances of that battle, and he confirmed it. While she was relieved that this wouldn't require more intensive repairs, she had no idea how much sand was embedded in the wound nor how to remove it.

Temari returned to the hospital slightly early, retracing her steps from when they first arrived. Sure enough, Gaara's room was sealed and locked. Whatever was going on in there was not finished, so she just seated herself on the floor across from the door and waited. Kankuro showed up a few minutes later and joined her in waiting.

Satsu found them in this state roughly an hour later when she left the room to retrieve more supplies. She had to resort to cutting most of the infection from their teammate's body and needed to insure that the right things were on hand should a complication surface. Baki left the room behind her and saw his subordinates staring back at him with questioning looks. He stared back at them and nodded. They both breathed a sigh of relief.

"When can we see him?" Temari asked.

"Shortly..." It was Satsu who had answered them. "Misao is just patching him up now. I managed to remove the source of the infection and have him on a few medicines in case it spread beyond his shoulder. He should wake up when the sedative wears off." Misao joined her in the hall and nodded curtly to her superiors questioning gaze."You can go to him now," She told the two siblings. "Just go easy on him for a few days"

End of Chapter 9


	10. Not Again

AN: I will soon be moving on to the next phase of the story. Satsu managed to save Gaara with her skills-I had to think of something that would be like an occupational hazard to him-and I remembered all those times seeing Gaara's shattered sand armor and wondering-How did he not get hurt all the times it broke from a strong blow? I have gotten pieces of porcelain embedded in my hands and arms once because something heavy fell on and broke a piece of pottery I was painting-actually causing a situation similar to what Gaara-kun just went through(now you see what inspired the previous chapter)

The Transition-chapter 10

Satsu insisted on keeping Gaara in the hospital until she knew for sure the infection had cleared up-a situation that spelled chagrin for him-he was left alone with the voice of Shukaku to keep him company. The tanuki was more annoyed than Gaara was and kept pestering him to kill one of the medics who checked up on him "for fun," and attacking Gaara with another genjutsu when he refused. Misao walked in on one of those "sessions" and looked everywhere for Baki to perform the suppression jutsu again. He wasn't even in the village though, he had informed them of this shortly after Gaara first woke up.

_Temari kept pestering him not to prod at his bandages, claiming it would only make the healing process slower, but he couldn't help it, the wound on his shoulder stung horribly. She visited him daily with Kankuro in tow to check up on his condition. He was recovering quickly but hated the boring routine of life in the hospital. That girl Misao had already caught him trying to escape through a window and had returned him to his bed with a warning that she would chain him there if he tried that again. He took the threat lightly, knowing that he could easily release himself from any bind, but complied anyways. He amused himself by pissing off Shukaku._

_Baki arrived later that afternoon, but he was clearly rushed and not intending to make a long stay of it. He was merely there to inform them of something Gaara had suspected long before the news arrived:_

_"The Kazekage is missing." Baki told the three of them gravely "I have been sent out as part of a search party. I don't know how long I'll be gone."_

_"What do you mean? I thought Father was at the Chunin exams!"_

_"That man was not our Father." Gaara said bitterly "Whoever that man was, he had an aura so unsavory it made Father seem innocent at heart. I coulld sense it in the arena that day."_

_"What are you saying Gaara?" Kankuro asked. "You knew this man was not Father, so why didn't you say anything?"_

_"I was...not in my right mind that day." He replied hesitantly. Temari and Kankuro knew exactly where he was leading. He had murderous intent focused on the Uchiha kid, which took away all other thought._

_"Whatever the reason, we must assume the worst." Baki said. "I will need all three of you on your guard. Even you, Gaara. Whoever took lord Kazekage hostage may attempt to cut down our most powerful shinobi next."_

_He left the village within the hour._

Gaara tried to conceal the torturous nature of the beast ever since. The last thing he wanted was to be forced to kill again, not if he wanted to regain everyones trust. But when Misao discovered the truth, he lashed out, grabbing for her and stifling any sound she made with his hands. She stared at him with a look of pure terror. His heart sunk. He was hoping that wouldn't happen, that maybe somebody would trust him. He terrified this girl half to death instead.

"Listen to me..." he whispered in her ear. "I won't hurt you. But I need you to keep quiet about what you just saw. I dont want anyone else to get hurt because of this demon's rage. Not again." He looked into her eyes, pleading for understanding. She nodded back. Gaara released her from his grip.

"I don't understand." Misao said. "Everyone I know said you just let Shukaku do what he pleased..." She didn't miss the guilt shoot across his face.

"Not again." He repeated. "I am taking back control."

End of Chapter 10


	11. Death of a Kage

AN: Heh... Sorry for the unusually long wait. You folks on DeviantART know that I manage a group on there. Well, theres been a hacker issue that has held my full attention for the last couple of days and I couldn't focus on my art or fanfiction through it. Its being resolved now though, so things are back in session! Well, I'm not the only one out there with issues to fix- now that Gaara has recovered enough to hold Shukaku and his own sanity in check, he wishes to make amends with his family and the other villagers. But amends take the back burner when news of the fourth Kazekage's murder shakes Suna, and now Gaara and his siblings must face the harsh reality of being war orphans.

The Transition Chapter 11

_What is going through that boy's mind? _Temari wondered to herself. Baki still hadn't returned from the search mission yet, leaving her in charge. She knew she was a terrible cook(Kankuro made it very apparant at every meal) but that was no reason for Gaara to damn near starve himself. She had witnessed the same thing every day since he was released from the hospital-he would only come out for a piece of fruit every morning and sit on the roof of their home overlooking the village with a curiously sad expression on his face.

"Can you see yourself? The fourth Kazekage's pampered little prince still knows nothing about approaching a common villager... Why can't you be a good little boy and give mother a little _snack _of them instead?" Since he inhabited his body, Shukaku had exclusive access to Gaara's thoughts, and never failed to exploit them. The beast had given up on punishing it's host with genjutsu, but continued to taunt him mercilessly.

"I know you're not my mother, tanuki. Stop this charade before you humiliate yourself." His response was almost serene. The change of attitude annoyed the bijou.

_Damn you Gaara. _"You know, you're no fun anymore since you fought that Konoha brat. Do you have a crush on him or something? He knew that was not the truth, but Shukaku never failed to make Naruto seem like more than an acquaintance or even a friend since they first encountered.

"Rather hypocritical of you, since I've seen cultures depiction of your type*. Besides, you should know full well what is going through my mind right now! You never fail to joke about it..."

"All jokes aside, desert mouse. You're so lost in thought that you failed to notice a commotion at the village entrance. It seems that meddlesome sensei of yours is back."

_Baki's back? _Gaara raised his head hopefully. _Then there must be news of...him. _He was suspicious about what happened, like the rest of the village, but thoughts of his father still stirred up boiling rage.

And Shukaku thrived in the fog of his host's rage.

"GAARA!" Temari had seen the procession too. Her tone suggested that she saw something he didn't. Teleporting himself to the ground level using his sand, Gaara soon saw why.

Baki and a gathering of other Jonin and Anbu black ops approahed the Kazekage's house bearing three white shrouded figures on litters. Temari shouted and ran at them, Kankuro holding her back. Gaara's blood ran cold when he saw what the frontmost litter bore.

The body was completely covered in a white cloth, so it's identity could not be discerned on that alone, but this litter in particular had been adorned with a green and white cloth bearing the village hourglass crest on the figure's torso, and the Kage headpiece over the face-the final rites of a fallen Kazekage. The sight terrified Gaara, who knew one powerful enough to kill the one man he truly feared and hated would probably not rest until they took down every last member of the Gokage and their lineage.

Their father was dead, and they could probably be next.

End of chapter 11


	12. Karura's Necklace

AN: Im introducing a simple but meaningful theme into the plot of this story and the sequel I have planned. Call it Gaara's "dirty little secret" or his "lucky charm" if you will, but he is going to steal his mother's only necklace from his Father's room as they pack away their old lives before the fourth Kazekage was murdered. Fan-comic readers may recognise that the title of this chapter is the same as one of a Naruto fan-comic on , but since I have never actually read that comic, I can reassure you that it is merely a coincidence.

The Transition, Chapter 12

After the funeral, the elders ordered the fourth Kazekages children to leave the manor and find homes elsewhere. It was a tough prospect to face as they had no living relative to take them in, and no foster family would have them because of Gaara. Temari was becoming desperate and even considered leaving Sunagakure with her brothers to start life anew in a neighboring village. Neither her brothers or the elders liked that idea. Kankuro had friends in Suna, Gaara bitterly claimed that he was considered a liability in or out of Suna, and the elders simply refused to lose two more ninja.

And there was the matter of the Jinchuriki.

As badly as the village wanted Gaara killed, they weren't going to give Shukaku to just anybody, and threatened to extract the beast from Gaara's body before they even considered letting the other two leave.

The villagers weren't even on the sly about what they wanted anymore. Everytime Gaara walked alone, passersby would spit curses at him. One was brazen enough to ask him why he wouldn't just die. A ball of compacted sand met the back of the mans neck as he walked off. Gaara was being merciful, but Shukaku was begging him to "at least kill _that _scumbag."

"Its like they're hanging a big 'fuck you' out to him all over Suna!" Kankuro raged as his brother's sand deflected yet another shuriken "They aren't even hiding the fact that they want Gaara's head on a platter now!"

They had no help clearing their belongings from the Kazekage manor either. Numerous crates began to fill the main hall of the manor with no place to take them to(The majority of them were Kankuro's vast puppet collection, which he wasn't quite ready to get rid of) Not surprisingly, the smallest collection in the hall was Gaara's, who only had some clothing and basic necessities. He took on his interests outside of the house.(They didn't know about his affinity for cultivating cacti until recently)

None of them looked forward to the next phase of clearing out. None of them ever even approached their fathers room since their mother died. But, as their father was gone, the contents of that room were theirs now, and they had to be removed at the very least.

"Well, Father's room isn't going to empty itself." Kankuro said half-heartedly. The siblings stood in a half-circle in front of the door, yet none budged. The two older siblings could sense an aura of unchecked rage coming off the youngest in waves, and were trying their best not to provoke him further. Surprisingly, Gaara was the first to reach for the door after several minutes of quiet consideration.

The Kazekages room had a cold appearance to it, devoid of any color save the amber glow of sunlight through a nearby window. The first thing they emptied was a plain wardrobe sitting across from the bed. They found nothing to salvage there, nor in any drawer, box, or bin. The last thing they checked after tossing things in crates to be given away was the small drawer in a side table. Temari let out a choking sob when she saw it's contents.

There was an elegantly bound green book and a beautiful mahogany box adorned with a silver hourglass. Probably the only mementos from their mother that their father kept.

"Gaara, Kankuro, look at this," Temari was looking in the green book. "That must've been the last picture taken before mother died!"

The first page showed four figures, a man, two young children, and a woman who appeared to be very pregnant. The man had one hand around the woman's shoulder and had an expression of pure pride. The children, a brown-haired boy and a blond girl in pigtails- had expressions of innocence long lost on thier faces. The woman was looking down with a look of tenderness on her face, one hand resting on her round belly, the other clutching a pendant on a chain around her neck.

_So there once was a time Mother had some affection for me._ Gaara thought as he stared at his mothers tender feelings toward his unborn self. _Before Father turned me into the monster I am now. _

"I still remember that day" Temari said sadly. "Father had just given Mother that necklace."

_Did he know what would go down in a matter of weeks even then?_

"And you were showing Father this toy snake Yashamaru had given you, Kankuro!"

_Did Yashamaru hate me even then?_

"It was a perfect day, nobody knew that in just a short time..." Temari had caught Gaara's expression "...You know, I wonder if Father kept that necklace." Temari started to fidget with the box. Her thoughts were true, as the only thing the box contained was a silver chain with a crystal hourglass hanging from it. Temari stared and stared at the pendant, a strange longing in her eyes. She then put the pendant back in the box and placed it in one of the crates to be given away. "Mother never really liked jewelry to begin with," she whispered. "We really need to get going. Come on, we should at least say good bye to Baki Sensei." And she turned and left the room, never looking back. Kankuro followed, and lastly Gaara, but not before he slipped the silver chain into his pocket.

End of chapter 12


	13. Suspicion

A.N. Things will not be so bleak for the siblings for long, as many of you might have guessed, Baki becomes their guardian. Shukaku is going to become more of a pain then ever, and Gaara will not be able to hide the bijou's assaults for long. Soon he will have to depend on his siblings emotional support and Baki's jutsu in order to stay sane.

The Transition Chapter 13.

Baki was walking quickly towards the Kazekage's manor when he encountered the siblings. He had something he wanted to tell them and was praying they had not left the village before he could reach them. Temari looked depressed, and Gaara like he was hiding something (he knew better than to ask at this point). Kankuro was lagging behind, breathless, bearing a heavy pack on his back.

"I'm glad I could find you three." Baki said.

"You know we could never leave without thanking you for everything you've done for us." Temari replied, bowing.

"Its more than that, Temari. I want to offer you a home."

Temari gasped, a loud crash resounding behind her: Kankuro had dropped his pack in shock. Gaara stared at him in disbelief.

"You-you want to give us...a home?" Temari stammered.

"Just look at things from my perspective: I have instructed you three for the past 6 years. I am not about to leave you to fend for yourselves at such young ages." _Besides, what Gaara might do without the proper guidance is too horrifying to imagine._ "I have no family and plenty of space to house three more people. It's a better prospect than what you were considering. Kankuro, can you really picture yourself dragging your entire puppet collection across the land of Wind?"

"Like you really have the space to house more than a dozen fighting puppets!" Kankuro retorted defiantly.

"No, but I have connections to the elite pupet masters of Suna, they can store and maintain your puppets for you. One of lady Chiyo's last pupils has been watching you and says you have talent." Kankuro beamed at the sudden praise.

"And you two, Gaara and Temari. You both use wind release, and have not yet discovered the full potential of your jutsu. Since I use it too, I can train you further, before someone stronger than you finds and exploits your weaknesses. Yes, I am referring to you too Gaara!" He retorted at Gaara's challenging glare. "Or need I remind you of that beating you got in Konoha? You all have areas you need to improve in. Go back to the manor, I'll meet up with you three tonight." Baki walked away.

"Owwwww, dammit Gaara!" Kankuro had been laughing at Baki's admonishment, causing Gaara to belt him upside the head with a ball of sand. Saying nothing, he turned and followed Temari back to the manor, ignoring his older brothers empty threats.

_Did I hear him right-he wants to TRAIN me? Baki rarely gave me the time of day when Father was alive, and now he expresses interest in improving me, making me more dangerous. Theres something strange about all this._

"Maybe he wants to exploit your weaknesses himself." Shukaku had not missed the opportunity to make a snide comment. "You've seen it, The village wants to see your blood stain the streets. How do you know that your sensei is no different?"

"I know the collective opinon of the village. I plan to change it."

"Those _villagers_ made you what you are! Kill them all, and your troubles will go away!"

"I will not kill another innocent!"

"GRAAAAAAH! They are not so innocent! They only care about war and death! You would actually be doing more good to end them all right now!"

Gaara had winced at the sound of the tanuki's enraged roar, but held his ground.

"That is the way of the ninja. They fight to protect their own, they kill to eliminate threats. I want to change that. I want a world where people can coexist and never resort to warfare again!"

"You set an impossible goal, boy! It is the way of the world to see alterior motives in others. Nobody can be trusted."

"Then I will start by showing the world I can be trusted. If a monster like me demonstrates that he can be trusted, then the world will start to follow by example. And as for you, you will learn to comply, or never taste another drop of blood again!"

Shukaku did not like those last words. He began to summon chakra for another genjutsu. Gaara, used to Shukaku's pattern of assault by this point, simply sat down against a nearby building and waited for it to pass. It still hurt, and Gaara returned to his feet shaking when it was over, but knew that it was all in his mind. Shukaku grew angrier with Gaara's brazen attitude, and resolved to find a new, more severe punishment, as he was not about to willingly become the personal slave of a desert rat.

As promised, Baki arrived at sunset, helping the siblings carry their belongings to their new home. It was a relatively small house, but had all the basic necessities. It turned out that he wanted to help them pack, but was busy making room for them at his own house and could not.

They each had their own room, though they were smaller than the rooms they had at the manor. Some things they, quickly figured out, would have to remain stored.

Because of the large collection he would house, the siblings agreed that Kankuro would get the largest room. Temari got the next biggest room, and Gaara, who wanted the room with a good view of the night sky, chose the smallest.

Since he didn't actually sleep, Gaara's room was more like a small den than a bedroom, with a desk, a small but comfortable chair facing the window, and an old-looking chest that held his clothing and a few objects he collected over the years. He did have a bed, but it was more for relaxing than sleeping.

Temari and Kankuro's rooms were both more cluttered, Kankuro's holding his most prized puppets-The Crow and The Black Ant, and the tools he used to repair and maintain them, as well as the stuff you'd normally find in a bedroom. Temari's room actually had similar furnishings to Gaara's, the only exception being an ornate wooden case that held the tools she used to maintain her fan, situated in a corner of the room. She didn't like to keep a lot of girly things.

Temari and Kankuro had a hard time sleeping that night, both having a lot to occupy their minds. Gaara sat on the windowsill of his new room, looking out at the moonlit village. The moon was full and bright, it's pale light reflected off his jade eyes, making them look as though they were glowing.

His mind was racing too, wondering what had sparked Baki's sudden generosity, and if Shukaku was not using laquered lies this time, that Baki really was using a ploy to find out what could finish him once and for all. He was always on his guard, so he did not have to increase his vigilance, and he did not fear death. But he knew that he would never earn the villages respect dead. It was the first time in years that he prayed for peace in the family.

End of Chapter 13.


	14. Head Games

A.N. I apologise if I portray the siblings as too lovey-dovey in this chapter. Shukaku has figured out a new and particularly nasty punishment and Temari walks in on one of the "sessions" and immediately goes into a protective, almost maternal state. I've only seen Temari's tender side once and dont have much to work with *shrugs* so I dont know how far is too far...

I may change the rating because of this chapter, it has a rather grisly torture scene in it.

The Transition Chapter 14

Shukaku and Gaara were locked in a mental staring match. He would never say it to the beast's face, but Shukaku's suddenly smug demeanor frightened Gaara just a bit.

"What do you want?"

"You should know full well what I want. I want blood, and I want it _now_."

"Well you're just going to have to wait until the next mission, I will not give you innocent blood..."

"DID I ASK FOR A COMEBACK, RAT!" Shukaku roared so loudly that Gaara was knocked off his feet. He could sense another genjutsu attack coming, and braced himself.

"You are not going to control me anymore! Try and punish me with your weak little genjutsu, it doesn't work anymore!"

_The way he adopted that Leaf kid's streak of defiance is almost sickening,_ Shukaku thought.

"Oh, I have figured that out by now, little mouse." Shukaku replied in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Test my patience again and you will see what true wrath looks like. Here, why don't you have a taste!" A blade of sand flew at Gaara and sliced slowly and deliberately into his belly, causing a deep wound that seared with a pain like he had just been struck with a white-hot blade. He clutched at the wound, doubled over and letting out an ear-piercing scream. Through the haze of pain, he could see a flow of blood so thick it coated his hands. The demon chose to make the pain and terror last, it was a good five minutes before the episode was over, then he returned to the waking world, completely healed.

He found that he was shaking violently and had to support himself against his desk as he regained composure. The room was spinning around him, and he could only just make it to a nearby wastepaper bin as he forcibly expelled what little food he ate from his stomach.

_What did you just do to me? _He asked when he could finally see straight again.

"Do you like my new technique?" Shukaku asked in that same sickeningly sweet voice. "It is a different type of genjutsu that works in real time with the waking world, and you _will_ feel it again if you don't comply."

_Try harder,_ Gaara responded with his own smug grin on his face. _You're not the one withholding something _I_ need. I know this is all for show, you wouldn't kill me as it would mean returning to the teakettle for another indefinate period._

"WHY YOU INSOLENT LITTLE..." Shukaku didn't even finish before another blade of sand tore into Gaara's body. The blood and gore was only illusion, but the pain was all too real, and too much for him to bear, and he let out another scream and began to thrash on the ground seeking any kind of relief.

Temari was walking to her own room to retrieve her fan when she heard the terrifying sound come from Gaara's room. She went in to investigate and saw him in the middle of a strange fit-he thrashed on the ground clutching at his stomach and screaming in agony. She screamed for Kankuro and Baki and rushed to the boy's side.

"Gaara, snap out of it! What's going on? GAARA!" he was completely unresponsive. Kankuro rushed into the room and saw the scene playing out before them.

"Temari, what's happening?"

"Its that thing again, its hurting him!" Temari had her hand in his, trying in vain to pull him out of the fit, but Gaara continued to thrash and cry out. "Come on, Gaara, fight it!" She was on the verge of tears. "Kankuro, I need you to find Baki-sensei, he knows how to stop this!" He didn't wait another second before dashing out.

Temari became frightened to realize that Gaara's reactions were losing strength, his intense thrashing was nothing more than occasional weak twitches by this point, but his outcries remained as strong as they were when she found him in this state, he was in real pain and she could see it. For the first time, she felt truly helpless. She tried to ease the pain the only way she could, by holding him and speaking words of encouragement until it passed.

Kankuro and Baki returned within several minutes-Baki was out of the house running errands when a breathless and mortified Kankuro showed up and told him what went down. He immediately kneeled at Gaara's side and began the suppression jutsu. It was slow to take effect, but soon Gaara's outcries subsided and he lost consiousness in Temari's arms.

"Baki-Sensei?" Temari looked up at him with questioning eyes.

"He's ok for now, but he's exhausted. He was under a genjutsu."

"Genjutsu?" Kankuro asked in disbelief. "Who could get far enough into Gaara's defenses to put him under a genjutsu?"

"Shukaku himself did it." Baki replied sadly. "He has a fetish for torturing noncompliant jinchuriki hosts, I learned of this from the previous host, who tried to control Shukaku. Unfortunately he was unsuccessful. It seems that Gaara is trying to reclaim control now, But if he doesn't find a way..." He faltered, knowing the truth and not wanting to reveal it. The siblings knew what he was going to say anyways. If the beast continued to torture him, it would only be awhile before he completely lost sanity. And when that happened, The elders would extract the beast and kill him.

End of Chapter 14


	15. The price of a protective instinct

A.N. Sorry for taking so long to post another chapter, but since Thanksgiving was this week, I'm sure you understand. As for the story, I have very little I can say on the matter except: Shukaku is a jerk! But the bijou and host have to come to an agreement at some point or Gaara wouldn't be sane enough to agree to rescue Sasuke later. I still haven't decided on a resolution, so I won't spoil anything. For now though, Gaara's going to be miserable, but at least he will have someone to help him through this...

The Transition Chapter 15

Temari lifted Gaara into her arms and laid him on the bed. He was shaking violently and she was pretty sure he was still in pain from the ordeal. Baki left the room with Kankuro in tow, muttering something about finding herbs. Temari was now alone with a potentially unstable jinchuriki host, but she pushed those thoughts into the back of her mind and looked into his face in an effort to glean anything from his expression. His face was pale and drenched with sweat, and his expression was different. What was twisted into a mask of agony mere moments ago was now mostly expressionless save a trembling lower jaw. He had fallen even deeper into sleep since he was laid on the bed, and he began to mutter in his dreams. She was pretty sure he had called out for their mother a couple times. Then she heard that sad snippet of his thoughts:

"No, I will never hurt another innocent again, and no punishment of yours will change that..."

He was talking with the Shukaku, and it seemed like he was deep in a battle of wills with the beast. What Baki had said was true-He was fighting to regain control, and Shukaku was hurting him because of it-the only reason he wasnt suffering in the demon's clutches that very moment was because Baki had suppressed both Shukaku's and Gaara's chakra.

_It's only a matter of hours before that THING tortures him again._ She thought with growing rage.

Baki and Kankuro returned to the room an hour later, one holding a mug in his hands. It seemed they had gone to the apothecary, seeking an herb with painkilling properties- it took so long because the stock was very low since they lived in the desert- where plants had a hard time growing. The village relied on trade to get such things, and the failed invasion of Konoha had made trade difficult all around.

Kankuro handed the mug to Temari, who set it on the bedside table and tried to wake Gaara up. He stirred and opened his eyes a little-and was startled to see both his siblings and Baki at his side, all concerned.

"What's going on?" he asked, trying to sit upright. Temari caught him as his shaking arm gave way, sending him backwards into the pillow.

"Shukaku tried to hurt you," Temari said, sitting down on the edge of the bed, "There was a lot of noise, so I went to see what caused it, and we found you in a bad state. Baki suppressed both yours and Shukaku's chakra and you passed out afterwords." She took the mug from the table and offered it to him. "Here, this should help with the pain-you look like you've been through hell..."

Gaara took the mug, but did not drink from it. He was still baffled by the amount of concern they were all showing _him. _Whenever they became worried, it was usually because of something he did, and now they were worried for him. Something was amiss.

"Baki, can the suppression jutsu be removed?" he asked.

"The only way is to wait for the effects to wear off" Baki replied. "But I don't know why you would want to give Shukaku the chance to torture him again.

"I want to figure out how to break the genjutsu myself!"_Besides, under this suppression jutsu, I'm vulnerable. How do I know they haven't spiked this tea with poison?_

"Gaara..." Temari started.

"Just leave me alone! I dont want Shukaku to kill you for interfering!" He pleaded.

"Easy," Temari didn't want him to make himself sick in this frenzy he'd worked himself into. "I know you're still unsure about trusting us, and I know you're trying to regain control. But you dont have to fight this battle alone!"

"Temari..." Kankuro could sense Gaara's patience wearing thin, any more provocation could spell their deaths when the jutsu wore off, and Temari was _really_ pushing it.

Gaara sniffed at the tea, it didn't have a strange scent, but he was still unsure about it. Only months ago, an outburst from Temari like that would have gotten her killed, so it was understandable to want to put an end to those threats. Even now the remark irked him, but he could dismiss it. He desperately wanted that bond Temari spoke of, but Shukaku was a different story. He was still lethal and bloodthirsty and would kill at the slightest provocation. He didn't want to endanger what little family he had left, when he was working so hard to connect with them.

Temari spent the night with Gaara, afraid that Shukaku would try to hurt him again. She sat on the roof at a far enough distance that he could not detect her prescence.

His behavior was more alert than usual, but she understood that it was because Baki's jutsu was still in effect and he was pretty much defenseless until it wore off completely. But he had regained enough control of his own chakra to use his most basic techniques, he had proven that earlier when he deflected hot water from a mishap at dinner using his sand-so it was only a matter of time before Shukaku got even with him for his defiance.

It was a full moon, too, so the beast would be particularly troublesome. Temari knew nothing she knew would protect Gaara from Shukaku's wrath, but she wanted to be there so she could get him the help he needed if it happened again.

Gaara stood up. He could feel Baki's jutsu wearing off, and he could also feel something in the wind that made him uneasy, like he was being watched. He was more than certain that it was another potential assassin and raised his guard even more. Shukaku stirred inside him excitedly, pretty sure someone would sate his bloodlust finally.

Temari could see him suddenly become poised to strike. Had he sensed her prescence after all? She suddenly felt at a loss-revealing herself to him in this state would most certainly get her killed, but staying still would make him suspicious of her if he found out. She had to make him know he was safe without risking her own safety in the process.

Gaara could've sworn he saw movement in the shadows, and sent a plume of sand to the area to sweep out any stalkers. He was startled to hear an outcry from a very familiar voice, and retreated his sand.

"Who's there?"

"Gaara, its all right, its only me!" Temari stepped out of the shadows.

_See, rat? I told you that nobody could be trusted! Your own sister is trying to kill you in the dark now!_

_She would not have revealed herself so quickly!_

_Are you going to just stand around and ask questions? Kill her now, before she kills you!_ Another plume of sand rushed out at Temari of its own accord, quickly encasing her. Her eyes widened, he could tell she though she was about to die.

"No, NO!" He cried into the dark,making a desperate effort to retreat the sand, but Shukaku had a strong hold on his sister.

_Let her go you piece of garbage!_

_No, she must die before she kills us!_

_She means us no harm!_

_DID I ASK FOR AN EXCUSE, RAT?_

_Just let her go, please! _he was near sobbing with desperation. The sand began to retreat, it was taking all of his strength to keep Shukaku distracted long enough to free Temari, but it was working. It soon released her, and she half-slumped to the ground.

"Run, Temari!" He yelled weakly.

_You are going to pay for that trick, rat! _Another plume of sand rushed at Gaara, making it's slow, deliberate path into Gaara's body. He cried out and struggled, but there was no escaping the genjutsu. It continued for what felt like hours before Shukaku finally released him. He returned to the waking world shaking like he always did after Shukaku punished him, and saw with a small uplifting feeling that Temari had at leasted managed to escape from Shukaku's rage.

Then a wave of pain and weariness crashed onto him like a tsunami, and he collapsed, falling off of the roof. He was completely unconsious before he hit the ground.

End of chapter 15.


	16. Collaboration with the beast

A.N. The two are going to reach a compromise soon, now that I figured out how to go about doing it. I didn't have him fall off a roof for show...Gaara now has some sort of leverage against Shukaku-as Gaara cannot die without killing Shukaku along with him or having him sealed in a teakettle. It will be a little more complicated than that, but that is the rough-and-tumble of it.

The Transition Chapter 16

_It was a good thing that was a low roof, or things could have been a lot worse._ Gaara didn't exactly walk away from the incident, he was stuck in the position he landed because of what felt like a dislocated shoulder, but he was alive. The force of the impact had broken the genjutsu, so he was very in tune with reality. His shoulder was throbbing, and he actually relished the pain as it provided a distraction from Shukaku. People were starting to gather around the area-his landing wasn't exactly a quiet one-and many of them had looks of shock or horror on their faces.

"I'll be damned- that was Gaara..."

"It's about time the little bastard got knocked down a few pegs!"

"Does this mean Shukaku is trying to get loose again?"

Many of the villagers were muttering things like this to themselves and out loud for all to hear. None of them noted that they were still living despite the numerous hurtful things they said, though it was characteristic of Gaara to slaughter anyone who disrespected him. Some were contemplating alerting the jounin about this, and one had a kunai drawn and was approaching menacingly. Gaara knew this shinobi was coming in for the kill, but he didn't care, his mind was focused on his shoulder. He didn't notice the other person rushing between them until he spoke.

"Get away from him! I don't care about what kind of history he had, it is still pure cowardice to kill an injured and defenseless shinobi!"

"Kankuro!" Gaara was speechless, as Kankuro normally advocated this sort of behavior towards him, so the change of heart shocked him.

"I heard you fall and came to investigare as well. What the hell were you trying to do?"

"It was Shukaku again...Kankuro, find Baki, I think I've dislocated my shoulder..." He was struggling to get in a more dignified position, and Kankuro could see the effort was painful to him.

"If that's the case, Gaara, you shouldn't be trying to move, you'll only hurt yourself worse!" He ran off, but not before he scattered the congregated villagers with Crow. He returned several moments later with Baki and Temari in tow, and also that medic who saw Shukaku using genjutsu on him weeks ago. He could already see where this was headed.

When Misao saw who her charge was to be, she considered refusing, afraid that he would lose control in front of her again. But she could see he was in pain, and her healing instincts took precident. She went to his side and instructed Baki to hold him down while she treated the injury.

"I'm afraid I brought nothing to deaden the pain, but I'll try to be gentle..." She said apologetically to Gaara.

_Great..._ He thought sarcastically to himself. _Another thing to look forward to..._

On her orders, Baki held him down by the uninjured shoulder, and Misao acted quickly, snapping his arm back into its natural position. It did hurt, but not as badly as she led him to think. He sat up with Baki's assistance, and Misao repaired any remaining damage with medical ninjutsu. When all was done, they all rose to their feet, and Misao depared, but not before Gaara thanked her.

_Well thats unusual for him..._ Baki thought, and immediately realized that he probably had some kind of feelings for the young medic.

Gaara returned to the house, afraid of what may happen if that girl crossed his path again. He had to be kind to her, or else she may reveal his weakness to the whole village. As it was that brief little show they got earlier was a potential problem.

For several days, Gaara isolated himself from the rest of the world, coming out of his room only when it was absolutely necessary. Though Baki and his siblings could guess why he was doing so, it still concerned them and made them wonder if he was fighting or regressing.

Gaara meanwhile, was desperately trying to figure out what he could do to control Shukaku, knowing another genjutsu like that in a more dangerous place just might kill him, or worse. He soon came to the conclusion that he had to continue to sate Shukaku's bloodlust to keep him quiet. But he wasn't going to feed another innocent soul to him while he was the demon's host. Then it hit him...he kept saying no to innocents. But there was still a fair share of unjust people out in the world.

"Thats it!" He exclaimed. "I can keep him quiet with criminal blood, it doesn't matter to him the virtue behind it, only the amount of power, and it just so happens many people cannot catch missing-nin because they're too strong!"

_It sounds like a feasable idea, runt, but you're forgetting one thing...where do you intend to find these 'criminals?' _He was so absorbed in his ideas that he forgot Shukaku could read his mind.

_Have you considered helping me out there? You have enough chakra to pick up an enemy's chakra signal within a mile of our location! _

_Very well, runt. I don't relish the though of teaming up with a pathetic rat like you, but if it's the only way you'll feed me, I'll agree to this! But you'd better stick to your word, or I'll punish you in the real world next time you defy me!_

End of chapter 16.


	17. The soft side of the demon

A.N. Nothing much to comment on for this chapter, only that with their new collaboration, Gaara and Shukaku will be more powerful than before(Duh!:P) and now they are back in training, trying to determine a proper chakra balance for a couple new moves Gaara will learn- I think you know what they are! Lastly, this chapter of the series is rapidly approaching the end(Waaaah!) and a sequel will be in the works. To avoid a delay like the utterly stupid one that made The Transition take so long to be published, I need title ideas. The sequel will center around the gap between part 1 and 2 of Naruto, and stars Gaara and his siblings of course, so that should give you some leway. The only title i can think of ATM is "The Bond" which sounds kinda...weak.

The Transition Chapter 17.

Three days passed since Jinchuriki and Bijou met an agreement, and Gaara only came out to train at Shukaku's insistance. The humiliating spill he took several days ago was still festering in his mind, and he was afraid of getting stares from the villagers. The collective attitudes of the villagers had not changed, however, as the typical flying shuriken met him midway between Baki's house and the village enterance.

They had to train in open desert, as Shukaku had warned him one of the moves he would be learning took a massive scale. The last thing Gaara wanted was to take responsibility for destroying the village he was working so hard to gain trust from.

_Listen, kid. This jutsu requires a perfect balance of both our chakras, so don't expect to get it right the first time._

From that point, Shukaku began to teach his host a jutsu he had perfected with a former host. It was the only one in his arsenal that required hand signs, but first he instructed him in balancing chakra with a simple exercise- he had Gaara form a ball of sand with his own chakra, and Shukaku himself did likewise. Then the two pushed them together with a steady stream of chakra that was supposed to match their partners. If either ball broke from the force of the other, one being's chakra output was stronger than the other's.

Gaara's ball disintegrated on the first try, and Shukaku struggled to maintain his temper-if he hurt Gaara or laughed at him, he would not get fed any time soon. He did not want that.

Several days passed before they figured out the proper chakra balance. When neither Gaara's nor Shukaku's ball disintegrated for a full minute, Shukaku determined they had mastered the control needed.

_You're ready to try the jutsu. _Shukaku said. _But I must warn you, if either of us lose control of our chakra, two things could happen-I could emerge, or you could pass your limit and collapse. We would not want either to happen in battle. Now, I am going to give you the hand signs needed to perform this jutsu._

The first time, while impressive, did not leave Gaara enough chakra to perform it's complimentary jutsu-the giant sand burial. Shukaku could not do it for him without emerging. They were forced to quit for the day.

The second time was weaker, though Gaara could do the second part of the technique, he did not release enough sand to absorb the shock. He went home that evening to find other villagers on alert for more earthquakes.

It took a full week for them to master the jutsu, yet Shukaku was reasonably impressed with the boy. It had taken the last host he did that with 6 months to master the jutsu.

_You seem to be taking inspiration from that Konoha boy. _Shukaku noted after yet another successful day. Gaara was showing an unnatural amount of eagerness to learn more-Shukaku could sense it in his mind despite his still calm bearing.

_That is an amazing technique! _Gaara exclaimed. _But what if there is another shinobi like Uchiha? You remember what he did during the invasion._

Shukaku could not forget that. If it wasn't so serious, he would have laughed at Gaara's reaction to seeing his own blood. The boy was human, so it was only a matter of time before it would happen again.

He didn't understand, perhaps they had learned to understand one another since they finally came to an agreement, perhaps he knew what his host's death would mean for him, but Shukaku found he was highly protective of Gaara now.

_There is one thing I can do for you boy, but you need to understand that this jutsu answers to my chakra alone..._

End of chapter 17.


	18. A hopeful omen

A.N. I apologise for the delay between chapters, it was the holidays after all, and everyone was busy. That matter aside, there is little I have to say on the upcoming chapter except that I have absoultely NO intention of turning Shukaku into the fluffy furball I portrayed him as in the previous chapter. I do think he has a soft spot for Gaara nonetheless because I seriously doubt Gaara can perform the Shukaku jutsus on his own, and I doubt Shukaku would give away such secrets to anyone. One final note, I desire to look over previous chapters and edit them because I think some scenes are a little bland. Keep an eye open for updates, and as always, constructive criticism is encouraged-I want this to be entertaining for everybody after all!

The Transition Chapter 18

Shukaku did not bring up the subject of his trump cards again in the weeks that followed, and Gaara didn't press him. Both had more important matters to focus on.

The Elders had been insisting on placing every able-bodied ninja on the borders of Sunagakure, certain that Lord Kazekage's death might spark an uprising at any time. Gaara and his team were always one of the first chosen to go out and gather intel on enemy groups. They were certain it was only another attempt at having Gaara assassinated, but they didnt complain. Shukaku was kept sated during these excursions, and that meant Gaara was more at ease.

They kept at this pace for weeks, yet no agressor was seen crossing the sights of the assembled guard. Slowly they lowered the guard and returned to normal activity. Almost normal, anyways. If any of the villagers had dared to look closely they would've noticed that Gaara's normally icy expression had softened. Those who did notice were still too frightened of meeting his eyes to do a double-take.

His siblings started to notice something was extremely different about him. Temari, who always had an eye for detail, noticed that many of the traits he had abandoned at a very young age were beginning to surface again. Gaara was trying to approach people, but they always spurned his advances. She could've sworn she saw sadness in his face after one attempt turned sour.

To Kankuro, he had a desperate aura about him, especially when they approached the elders for a mission. He always sought assassination missions, but Kankuro knew that was only to keep the demon inside him quiet. He always inquired about accepting missions to Konoha, but the hidden leaf village was still reeling from the invasion and wasn't ready to trust the sand village with their problems.

"You'd think the Elders couldn't possibly be more paranoid!" Kankuro fumed when they were assigned a border patrol mission. "The village has been so quiet you could fall asleep on the job and get away with it! In fact, wake me up when something actually happens..."

"Thats the kind of attitude that could get you captured of killed, Kankuro." Gaara retorted blandly after Temari clubbed him with her fan. "It may be a common job, but it still must be done!"

Gaara was still on edge, nonetheless. A simple mission was a poor way to appease Shukaku. He didn't want a repeat of the rooftop incident. He didn't relish another encounter with potentially malicious villagers who could use that weakness against him. Especially that medic girl he kept crossing paths with after attacks. He was almost certain she was up to something.

The day ended without incident. The group retreated to their home for the night, where Kankuro continued to fume for several hours.

Gaara, quickly becoming bored with his older brothers complaints, left quietly and watched the stars from the roof of the house, a habit he'd adopted since he was little. Yet he had only witnessed what he saw tonight once bofore.

There was a meteor shower that night, and the only ones who could see it were the ones pulling night missions or, like Gaara, couldn't sleep. He was the only one who took it as a sign though. He was more than certain it was an omen of hope.

He knew then everything would turn out right.


	19. The plea

A.N. Forgive me for not updating or anything for several weeks. I have been attending classes for the past few weeks and they took up a great deal of time, so I haven't been able to write or think up plot details for alot of that time. This chapter of the series is almost over, and I have decided to settle on calling part two of the series "The Bond," which was inspired by Gaara and Kankuro's conversation in volume 28, where Gaara confesses a desire to connect with the other villagers.

The Transition Chapter 19

_Are you out of your mind, boy! _A very irritated Shukaku shrieked in Gaara's head. This was the third mission in a row that Gaara had tried to initiate the new jutsu and severely threw off the delicate chakra balance. This time it had caused him to black out on the battlefield, and were it not for Kankuro, he would have been captured or killed by his opponent.

Shukaku had been bellowing at him ever since.

_But that's actually an improvement..._Gaara thought, recalling a time not too long ago that the tanuki would have tortured him for botching a jutsu, particualrlly one that sated the beast's bloodlust.

He was getting along with his siblings better too. They no longer ran from him nor cringed in his prescence, though occasionally Kankuro would jump if he entered a room a little too loudly.

The villagers were the same, ignoring him and running from him should he stray too close. That one villager still threw kunai at him whenever he passed, despite the fact that Gaara always deflected it.

Kankuro became angry when he witnessed this one too many times, and actually leapt at the ninja responsible. He turned out to be a boy about Gaara's age. He spat on Gaara as Kankuro restrained him, and threatened to take him to the Elders. Gaara was merciful though, making Kankuro release him with a warning.

They were headed to the council to recieve another mission, so they did not turn around after the incident. Kankuro was openly chagrined to learn that the only missions available were border patrol missions, and he and Baki were arguing when another ninja entered in a semi-rushed manner.

"My Lords! Konoha has just issued a plea for assistance in retrieving a missing ninja. It appears that the last of the Uchiha clan had left the village roughly three nights ago. They are not sure if it was a kidnapping of if he left voluntarily..."

Gaara's ears perked up. _Uchiha has gone missing? _

"Baki, your team is the only one in the village at this time who knows anything about Konoha and the Uchiha clan, as you all have fought one of them during Operation Destroy Konoha. I am afraid you are the only ones who will be able to do this."

Baki looked taken aback, but the truely startling expression was the defiant one on Gaara's face.

"We will do it," He said in a serious tone that startled everyone present. "We must!"


	20. The Sound ninja

A.N: Sorry i took so long between chapters, all I can say is... hehe... addiction takes many forms. My sister introduced me to a new RPG that she was always on my case to help her with, getting me hooked in the process. Im taking a break from it cuz its getting boring, and thought id return to The Transition. I intend to focus more on the Konoha gang for the next couple chapters, so be ready for more characters and maybe a little humor. Lastly, we all know that Gaara is fighting Kimimaro, but I dont think Gaara himself knew, so Im just calling him "the Sound ninja" as if this was from Gaara's POV .

The Transition Chapter 20.

_So that Uchiha kid went off in search for more power. Why am I not surprised?_ Though they were never breifed on the nature of Sasuke's disappearance, Gaara could guess that was why. He could sense that lust for power from the first time they made eye contact. They had been travelling for almost two days and were growing wary, knowing what the Sound ninja were capable of since the Fourth Kazekage had been found murdered.

They soon were able to hear sounds of battles in all directions, and decided to split up and assess them. Gaara had run into a clearing and could make out two figures, one pale, shirtless figure advancing on a very familiar figure in a green jumpsuit. Having fought Rock Lee before, Gaara was almost certain he was at an advantage.

Until he stumbled and fell flat on his face.

_Is he DRUNK?_ Gaara stared in half shock half amusement at the unorthodox behavior of the taijutsu specialist. He had heard legends about some people becoming more powerful under the effects of sake, but had always dismissed them as being the fantasies of vagrants. He thought the battle was pretty much over until Lee was thrown by one of the Sound ninja's moves. He began to advance on Lee, an object resembling a sword poking from his skin.

Gaara arrived just in time, seperating the two with a cloud of sand.

Lee made an effort to resume fighting, but was stopped by another cloud of sand, which he fell into and nearly choked on.

_Boy, you better be careful, that looks like the jutsu of the Kaguya clan!_

_We can take him..._

_I am not so sure about this... that clan was a thorn in my side before Suna took control of me! They can do more with their bones than appearances dictate!_

_If you're not going to help, then dont meddle!_

He knew Shukaku was not lying after his most practiced jutsu failed. He looked on in horror as his Sand Coffin did nothing to restrain the grotesque jutsu of the Sound ninja.

Eventually he asked for Shukaku to aid him in summoning Chakra for the sand tsunami, as his own was nearly gone. He was positive they were done with this battlle when something truly horrifying emerged.

The Sound ninja's sking had turned a grey color, and several horns of bone emerged from his body. He had also grown a tail, which Gaara soon discovered was very powerful as he was thrown several yards from the battle by it.

The sound ninja turned to gloat, when he saw something equally as unusual to him. Gaara's sand armor had been activated the mooment the sound ninja charged at him, and was beginning to crumble from the impact.

Lee saw the ninja stall and decided to try to attack again. He too would have been thrown if Gaara did not summon a cloud of sand to shield him.

This irritated the Sound ninja, who turned to Gaara and began to transform yet again...

End of Chapter 20.


	21. Closure

A.N. the end rapidly approaches here. Keep your eyes open for "The Bond," which promises to be a longer, more complicated fanfic. Enjoy!

The Transition Chapter 21

_The new threat made Shukaku stir in his host's conciousness. Through Gaara's eyes, he saw something of a level even the Kaguya were incapable of. The ninja did not look human, but like a grotesque creature not of this world._

Gaara felt Shukaku becoming more restless by the minute, and began to fear he might try to take over again. However, the rage emanting from the beast was directed towards... The Sound ninja?

_I want you to give me some control..._

_What!_

_Dont argue with me, or it will be both our necks!_

The Sound ninja had torn more bones from his body, this time a disgusting, spiny chain from his spine, which he lashed toward Gaara like a whip. The sand barely rose to protect him from the impact in time.

_I dont want to transform, i just want to use my own chakra!_

_Fine, but remember our deal!_

A large mass of bone had emerged from the ninja's hand, forming a thick, pointed spear. He advanced it towards Gaara, threatening to bore through him and his defenses.

The words that Gaara spoke were in his voice but rang with an inhuman power. A large golem of sand rose from the earth, taking the form of the demon Shukaku.

Lee saw this with a look of both awe and horror.

The Sound ninja took this as a challenge and bored the spear into the shield-demon. He only got a small way through the shield when the spear shattered.

The sound ninja looked at the still intact shield and the remains of his shattered bones.

"So strong!" he exclaimed.

Shukaku allowed him little time to marvel before he began to sink him beneath the earth.

He returned control to his host mere moments after the shocked face of the Sound ninja vanished below the earth.

"You did it!" Lee exclaimed.

However, a sudden, strange thing happened, and a forest of bone began to grow around them, threatening to impale the both of them on their sharp boughs. Gaara only had enough time to lift the pair of them out of danger on floating clouds of sand.

Lee looked around in amazement and horror, Gaara sat breathlessly on his own cloud.

"It is amazing how you can do so much in such a short time!" Lee exclaimed.

"It has become second nature to me... But I am at my limit, we must descend..."

"How dare you call me a pawn!"

Gaara turned around, only to stare face to face with the same spear of bone that Shukaku had shielded him from moments before. Wide eyed, he waited for the fatal blow to land.

It never came. As soon as the Sound ninja began to lash out, he succumbed to the condition that had plauged him before the battle even began.

They returned to the village hours later, Gaara supporting Lee on his shoulder, to learn that the mission had failed- Sasuke had indeed gone to the Sound village of his own will, but Naruto had put up a great fight to try to stop him. they nearly lost two of the Leaf villagers, but all had sustained some kind of injury.

Gaara found his siblings in Konoha's hospital, Temari keeping one of her own former opponents company, Kankuro looking for Gaara, after learning the circumstances of his battle, he feared Gaara had been injured, but was now making wise remarks at him.

Temari came running to them moments later with news that everyone would survive.

_No casualties, thank goodness!_ Last time Gaara had been in this village, his wish was to see them all die, now he was grateful to see them all safe.

Later that day, Naruto's sensei found him, learning he was interested in his student's wellbeing. He had confirmed that Naruto would be OK, but told him of a new situation.

"One of the Sanin wishes to train Naruto personally, and he will be leaving in a few days to do so."

"That is a good thing. Having fought him, i feel a sanin could help him control his impulsiveness. It will be a while, wont it?"

"Training usually does, but I think he will return to the village in a fairly short time..."

"He seems that type...I hope it all goes well for him."

"I can sense a change in _you, _as well. Last time we met, death was your mindset. You've grown, and I think we can expect even more while Naruto is away. Can you not see the desire to improve throughout everyone in your age group?"

"I never noticed until now..."

"I hope that spirit spreads to Suna when you and your team return. I am sure Naruto would want to see that."

The siblings returned to Suna the following day. Those who were able to saw them off at the gate.

"Well, the score is even now, i guess..." Shikamaru, the boy Temari fought in the Chunin exams, was among them and was _trying_ to be civil, but all could see he was having trouble.

"I am grateful to you guys, I would have lost so much more without your aid." Naruto's teammate, Sakura, was there on Naruto's behalf.

"Well, if you ever need someone to watch your back again, we'll be there!" Temari had started wise cracking at Shikamaru late the following night, and wanted to get one last dig in.

"I hope the best for you and your comrades..." Gaara spoke this time. "Please give Naruto my best wishes for his journey."

"I will, and I wish you three the same for yours..." Sakura had a bittersweet tone to her voice. "I am glad to see your own bond has strengthened."

"Well, I guess we better cut formalities short, we dont have long." Kankuro finally closed the greetings, which he too was uncomfortable with. The three siblings turned and headed back to their home in the desert, new hopes and ideas on their minds.

The End.


End file.
